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Who will dominate the global "biopharmaceutical financing list" in 2021?

 Last Update: 2022-06-05
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People often regard venture capital as a weather vane for predicting the future development prospects of enterprises

Mainly includes mRNA technology, cell therapy, me too innovative drugs, neuroscience, new crown theme, solid tumor, immortal theme, AI pharmaceutical

After private financing reached new heights in 2020, this makes the threshold for financing in 2021 unusually high

While 2021's fundraising results are eye-popping, they're slightly less optimistic when you start digging deeper

Are biotechs still attractive to investors amid the COVID-19 pandemic? 2022 to wait and see

Abogen Biosciences

Funding: $700 million in Series C financing in August

Investors : Temasek, Invesco Development Market Fund, Zhengxin Valley Capital, Hillhouse Ventures, Yunfeng Fund, Eli Lilly Asia Fund, Boyu Investments, Qiming Venture Partners, Honghui Capital and other investors

Investors :

Since going public, Abogen has raised more than $1 billion, which has allowed its mRNA coronavirus vaccine to enter Phase 3 trials

ElevateBio

Funding: $525 million in Series C financing in March

Investors: Matrix Capital Management, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Fidelity Management Research, MPM Asset, F2 Ventures, Redmile Group, EcoR1 Capital, Samsara BioCapital, The Invus Group, Emerson Group, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company) , Surveyor Capital (a castle company), EDBI, Vertex Ventures, ITOCHU Corporation and a major insurance company

investor:

A new change for ElevateBio over the past year has been the appointment of a BaseCamp chairman

Elevate's platform focuses on gene editing, induced pluripotent stem cells, and cell and protein engineering

EQRx

Funding: $500 million in Series B in January

Investors: GV (formerly Google Ventures), Arch Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Casdin Capital, Section 32, Nextech, Arboretum Ventures and other undisclosed investors

investor:

Investors were pessimistic about the possibility of two of EQRx's similar products being approved without additional clinical trials after the FDA rejected Eli Lilly's PD-1 drug Tyvyt

Neumora

Funding: $500 million in Series A financing in October

Investors: Arch Venture Partners, Alexandria Venture Investments, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Amgen Corporation, Catalio Capital Management, F-Prime Capital, Invus, Logos Capital, Mubadala Capital, Newpath Partners, Polaris Partners, re.

investor:

Neumora has established a dedicated grant for new approaches to brain disease
.
Neumora was established back in 2019
.
2020 operates in stealth mode under the code name RBNC Therapeutics
.
The final Neumora company was formed by the merger of the original Neumora and the acquisition of four start-up companies, BlackThorn Therapeutics, Abelian Therapeutics, Syllable Life Sciences and Alairion
.
On October 8, 2021, Neumora Therapeutics announced that it will go out of stealth mode and integrate data science and neuroscience to develop precision therapies for brain diseases including depression and Alzheimer's disease
.
On the same day, the company also announced that it had reached a research and development cooperation with Amgen, obtained a US$100 million equity investment from Amgen and developed research and development projects targeting casein kinase 1 delta (casein kinase 1 delta) and glucocerebrosidase.

.
The partnership also brings the company's total funding to more than $500 million
.
Few biotech companies have started from scratch like Neumora Therapeutics
.
Currently, the company's pipeline has 8 drugs designed at the forefront of neuroscience, with the two fastest-moving products being NMRA-140 and NMRA-511, both paired with a proprietary Precision Phenotype™ for neuropsychiatric disease and targeted precision medicine development for neurodegenerative diseases
.
Among them, the most promising NMRA-140, a kappa opioid receptor antagonist for the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder, is nearing the end of its Phase 2 clinical trial
.
Neumora's second clinical-stage program, NMRA-511, a selective V1aR antagonist as a treatment for anxiety disorders, is in Phase 1 development
.
Both of these drugs were acquired by Neumora through the acquisition of BlackThorn Therapeutics
.
In addition, NMRA-094, a preclinical drug targeting histamine H1 and 5-HT2A receptors, was acquired through the acquisition company Alairion
.

Neumora has established a dedicated grant for new approaches to brain disease
.

After having six preclinical drug candidates, Neumora added a seventh drug candidate to the pipeline last month through an agreement with Vanderbilt University's Warren Center for Neurological Drug Development
.
The deal gives Neumora the global rights to an M4 muscarinic receptor-positive allosteric modulator program, which the company believes has potential in the treatment of schizophrenia
.

Laronde Therapeutics

Funding: $440 million in Series B financing in August

Investors: Flagship Pioneering, T.
Rowe Price Associates, Invus, Canadian Pension Fund Investments, Fidelity Management Research, BlackRock, Federated Hermes Kaufmann Funds and other undisclosed investors
.

investor:

Laronde hopes to develop 100 new mRNA-based drugs within the next 10 years
.
Laronde is the 50th life science platform incubated by Flagship Pioneering, founded in 2017
.
In August 2021, the company raised $440 million after separating from its founder, "Flagship Pioneering", and is committed to advancing the development of its unique eRNA technology platform-based circRNA drug that allows the time dimension of exogenous protein expression in vivo weeks or months to treat the disease
.
"The money raised reflects our ambition, we want to build a big company, and for that we need a lot of money," said Diego Miralles, MD, CEO of Laronde and CEO and partner of Flagship Pioneering
.
The ambitious goal of developing 100 new mRNA-based drugs within the next 10 years
.
In May 2021 Flagship Pioneering committed to invest $50 million in Laronde for the development of the Laronde platform and new drug pipeline
.
Successful mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 from Moderna and Pfizer Biotech have both paved the way for this new technology platform
.
The company at Flagship Labs designed a new type of RNA -- called endless RNA, or eRNA
.
The Series B round, which includes funding from the company's founders, will allow Laronde to expand its eRNA platform and develop multiple projects simultaneously, Miralles said
.
So, what makes Laronde's technology unique? eRNA™ is specifically designed to translate the programmed genetic code and direct protein expression, using eRNA modular coding regions to achieve different functions, and then using eRNA non-coding regions to control expression stability, targeting,
etc.
At the same time, eRNAs are constructed from unmodified natural nucleotides and do not trigger innate immune responses.

.
It is persistent, non-immunogenic, allows for repeated administration, and provides flexibility in formulation and delivery
.
Dr.
Avak Kahvejian, founding CEO and board member of Laronde and a partner at Flagship Pioneering, said endless RNA has the potential to overcome multiple hurdles, such as cost and complex application environments, that have previously limited the use of protein therapeutics
.

Laronde hopes to develop 100 new mRNA-based drugs within the next 10 years
.

In November 2021, the company welcomed two industry leaders to the board: Sheri McCoy, former vice chairman of Johnson & Johnson and former CEO of Avon, and Dr.
Pablo Cagnoni, oncologist, pharmaceutical manager, president and CEO of Rubius Therapeutics
.

Adagio Therapeutics

Funding: $336 million in Series C financing in April

Investors: RA Capital Management, Redmile Group, Federated Hermes, Foresite Capital, ArrowMark Partners, Premji Invest, Fidelity Management Research, Orbo Capital, Polaris Partners, Mithril, GV, Population Health Partners, Adimab and Omega Funds
.

investor:

Adagio has struggled recently with the abrupt departure of its founding CEO, Dr.
Tillman Gerngross
.
Adagio debuts with much fanfare, promising to create treatments for both new and old coronaviruses
.
The company was included in (Fierce Biotech's 2020 Fierce 15) list in 2020
.
The company is committed to developing best-in-class neutralizing antibodies for the treatment of coronavirus, focusing on the discovery, development and commercialization of infectious disease antibody solutions with pandemic potential
.
On April 19, 2021, Adagio Therapeutics announced that it has closed a $336 million Series C financing round led by RA Capital Management
.
The funding is earmarked to support the ongoing research and development of its lead clinical candidate, ADG20
.
This funding round followed a $309 million IPO in August
.
But in recent months, things have been a little bit bleak
.
The company's founder and CEO, Dr.
Tillman Gerngross, abruptly resigned in February, before the company's ambitious plans passed the FDA regulatory process
.
Gerngross "agreed in principle to resign," according to the company's statement
.
It's unclear what exactly happened
.
But Adagio wasn't left behind
.
Leadership was handed over to Chief Operating Officer David Hering, who previously led Pfizer's global mRNA franchise behind the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty
.

Adagio has struggled recently with the abrupt departure of its founding CEO, Dr.
Tillman Gerngross
.

Recently, Adagio Therapeutics said that in an ongoing Phase 2/3 trial of adintrevimab (ADG20), an intramuscular injection for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the primary goal of all three indications was met with statistical significance
.
ADG20 is the first monoclonal antibody to achieve the primary endpoint with statistical significance in pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment of 2019-nCoV, and plans to seek emergency use authorization in the United States
.

Sotio Biotech

Funding: $315.
9 million raised in December

Investor: PPF Group

investor:

Sotio's head of production said the company will conduct clinical applications of CAR-T therapy in the United States
.
In December 2021, SOTIO Biotech, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company owned by the PPF Group, announced that it had secured €280 million ($315.
9 million) in financing, making it one of the largest single-stage funding rounds ever in Europe
.
The more than 10-year-old company, owned by Czech investment firm PPF Group, has amassed significant capital in its products in the immuno-oncology space, especially its most mature product candidates
.
The financing will significantly expand and advance its clinical pipeline, including its lead asset, SOT101, an IL-15 super antagonist, and three new clinical programs
.
Among them, three clinical programs will enter Phase I clinical testing, including SOT201, an IL-15-based immunocytokine; BOXR1030, a GPC3-targeted CAR-T based on patented technology, which aims to improve the performance of CAR-T therapy in Efficacy in the tumor microenvironment; SOT102, a next-generation Claudin18.
2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
.
SOT101 is a subcutaneously administered IL-15 super agonist that activates innate and adaptive immune responses, expands the number of active NK cells and T cells, and kills tumor cells
.
The funding will be used to advance SOT101 through two multi-target Phase 2 clinical trials: one as a monotherapy in patients with melanoma, squamous skin cancer and kidney cancer, and the other in advanced/refractory solid tumors In patients, combined treatment with Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab)
.
Among them, the Phase 2 trial plans to use the combination of SOT101 and standard doses of Keytruda to treat up to 300 patients, including six different indications: second-line non-small cell lung cancer, first- and second-line cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, first-line microsatellite hyperthyroidism Stable colorectal cancer, second-line hepatocellular carcinoma, first-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and second-line ovarian cancer
.
The company will also use the funding to advance other drug candidates through Phase 1, including CAR-T therapy, which it hopes will be strong enough to support T cells to treat solid tumors
.
The company said the trial will begin in early 2022
.
Sotio's head of manufacturing said in October 2021 that the company will conduct clinical applications of CAR-T therapy in the United States
.

Sotio's head of production said the company will conduct clinical applications of CAR-T therapy in the United States
.

Phase 1 dose escalation for gastric and pancreatic cancer patients will begin in March 2022, although no official announcement has been made
.
Finally, SOTIO plans to initiate a Phase 1 study with its first IL-15-based immunocytokine using a PD-1 inhibitor as a target by the end of 2022
.

Altos Labs

Funding: $270 million in Series A financing in January

Investors: Arch Venture Partners, an undisclosed investor
.

investor:

Ultra-billionaire and Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos is one of Altos' investors
.
"The young man's dream is to be rich, and the rich man's dream is to be young
.
" Altos Labs' goal is to develop life-extending therapies that can stop or reverse the aging process in humans
.
Russian super-rich Yuri Milner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have all invested in the company
.
Backed by $3 billion from Silicon Valley billionaires, Altos Labs signed a research dream team of Nobel laureates for 10 times more than normal pay
.
They will begin work in spring 2022 at two labs in the US and one in the UK
.
At the heart of Altos Labs' vision is a program called cellular reprogramming, which aims to reverse disease, injury and disability
.
It's a method of rejuvenating cells that some scientists believe could be extended to rejuvenate tissues and organs throughout animals, ultimately extending human lifespan
.
The company's star-studded management team will be led by incoming CEO Hal Barron, MD
.
Hal Barron will officially step down as chief scientific officer of GlaxoSmithKline in August to lead Bay Area startup Altos Labs
.
Barron was head of research and development at Roche-owned Genentech before serving as chief scientific officer at GlaxoSmithKline for four years
.
Other new leaders at Altos include Rick Klausner, MD, former director of the National Cancer Institute; Hans Bishop, former CEO of GRAIL and Juno Therapeutics; and Ann Lee-Karlon, PhD, former senior vice president of Genentech
.
Klausner and Bishop founded Altos, forming a board of directors that included CRISPR's Dr.
Jennifer Doudna, Nobel laureates Dr.
Frances Arnold and Dr.
David Baltimore
.
The rest of the company's divisions remain mysterious, and specific research goals have yet to be determined
.
There is only a press release on Altos' website that says "well-known investors" are contributing $3 billion
.
Known investors include Arch Venture Partners and Jeff Bezos
.
Altos will have scientific institutes in San Francisco, San Diego and the UK, staffed by a number of world-class principal investigators, led by Dr.
Peter Walter, Dr.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and Dr.
Wolf Reik
.
Nobel Laureate Dr.
Shinya Yamanaka serves as Altos' Senior Scientific Advisor, overseeing Altos' research activities in Japan
.
"It is clear from the work of Shinya Yamaka and many others since his initial discovery that cells possess the ability to rejuvenate, by resetting the cell's epigenetic clock, eliminating the Harm from countless stressors
.
These insights, combined with major advances in some transformative technologies, have inspired Altos to reimagine medical care where disease reversal is possible for patients of any age
.
"

Ultra-billionaire and Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos is one of Altos' investors
.

Altos' leading anti-aging technology, luxurious team lineup, and high financing amount have attracted the attention of countless people around the world
.

Sonoma Biotherapeutics

Funding: $265 million in Series B financing in August

Investors: Bridgewater Capital Group, ArrowMark, Avidity Partners, Casdin Capital, Deep Track Capital, Fidelity Management Research, Frazier Healthcare Partners, GV, Janus Henderson Investors, Mirae Asset, NS Investment, Osage University Partners, Piper Heartland Healthcare Capital and Vertex Ventures HC
.

investor:

Sonoma's founding team is world-renowned in the fields of immune tolerance and Treg biology
.
One of the founders, Dr.
Jeff Bluestone, Bluestone is also known for discovering the CTLA-4 target for a new generation of cancer immunotherapy
.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics is focused on the development of Treg cell therapies
.
The company has raised more than $335 million since its inception in 2019
.
Sonoma's founding team is world-renowned in the fields of immune tolerance and Treg biology
.
Co-founder Dr.
Alexander Rudensky and Chief Scientific Officer Fred Ramsdell discovered a key transcription factor for Treg development and function, FOXP3
.
Dr.
Bluestone and Dr.
Qizhi Tang pioneered adoptive Treg cell therapy in autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation
.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics received $40 million in Series A financing in February 2020, and an additional $30 million in September of the same year
.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics has surged in 2021, raising $265 million in Series B funding, nearly four times its first round
.
Sonoma pioneered adoptive cell therapy for Treg and combines it with Teff conditioning therapy to promote immune tolerance in a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions
.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics' platform and product candidates are designed to restore immune system balance through complementary regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy and effector T cell (Teff) modulation
.
The company hopes to use these immune "sentinels" present in every tissue type to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
.
Sonoma says it is developing regulatory T-cell therapies that target tissues with high specificity
.
Additionally, it aims to address effector T cell resistance associated with inflammation and an overactive immune system
.
By pairing regulatory T cells with effector T cells, Sonoma believes it can build a more durable immune response
.
The more than $330 million in funding raised over the past two years should give the company plenty of room to flesh out its early-stage pipeline
.
Currently, it has two lead programs: SBT-77-7101, a novel CAR-based Treg cell therapy for refractory rheumatoid arthritis; and SBT-11-5301, a Teff-modulating biologic designed to Helps clear the inflammatory environment, making Treg cell therapy more effective
.
SBT-11-5301 is being investigated as an opsonizing agent in monotherapy for type 1 diabetes and in combination with the company's Treg cell therapy platform
.

The company's founders include former CEO and Parker Cancer Therapy Institute director Jeff Bluestone, Ph.
D.
, who discovered the function of the CTLA-4 receptor, an important advance in cancer treatment
.
The FDA-approved Bristol-Myers Squibb immunotherapy Yervoy targets the CTLA-4 receptor
.

Insilico Medicine

Funding: $255 million in Series A funding in June

Investors: Warburg Pincus, Qiming Venture Partners, Lanting Capital, Eight Roads Ventures, Eli Lilly Asia, Innovation Works, BOLD Capital Partners, Formic Ventures, Baidu Ventures, CPE, Orbo Capital, Mirae Asset Capital, B Capital Group , Deerfield Management, Mai Xing Investment, Clear Pool Capital, President International Development Corporation, Sequoia Capital China Fund and Sharp Capital
.

investor:

Insilico's first treatment entered clinical trials late last year in patients with pulmonary fibrosis
.
As a Chinese AI drug development company, Insilico Medicine's core technology is to use deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers and other modern machine learning techniques to generate new molecules with specific properties structure, and predict the results of clinical trials to efficiently promote the development of new drugs
.
Since its establishment in 2014, Insilico Medicine has become a leading player in the AI pharmaceutical industry, whether it is the time of entry, the accumulation of technology, or the depth of its layout
.
Since Insilico Medicine secured a massive $255 million funding round in June 2021, the AI-driven drug discovery company has announced multiple collaborations in different disease areas across a range of indications
.
At the same time, the company has been launching a slew of drug targets and therapies for clinical use, all thanks to having ample funding to get Insilico's drug candidates into human trials
.
Insilico Medicine's partners include not only Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Teva Pharmaceuticals and other pharmaceutical industry leaders, but also Johns Hopkins University, University of Copenhagen, etc.
top research universities within
.
Insilico's artificial intelligence platform scans millions of data samples to discover targets for existing molecules or easily generated molecules
.
The company has also developed three other software: PandaOmics, which focuses on novel targets, Chemistry42, which is used to generate new molecules, and InClinico, which predicts the success rate of clinical trials
.
PandaOmics was featured in the late March issue of Aging for its ability to predict molecular targets for new drugs to treat age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis and more
.
Insilico has since partnered with drug discovery biotech company 4B Technologies to focus on the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
.
Another collaboration with Huadong Medicine will look at untreatable cancer targets
.
Meanwhile, Insilico's first treatment officially entered the clinic late last year
.
A healthy volunteer in Australia received ISM001-055, a small molecule inhibitor designed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the company said in November 2021
.

Insilico's first treatment entered clinical trials late last year in patients with pulmonary fibrosis
.

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